id argue that though sites like this and the online transition are clearly putting mags into their final throes, it's helped gamers like myself talk with other like-minded ones and discover all the hidden gems ive missed in the past, which is more or less entirely why i got into commenting to being with.

im fortunate that my local gamestop manager is quite informed about pretty much all the info that passes through here, but hanging there a bit once in a while shows me it is indeed a small minority of gamers that's nearly at that point. most, indeed, are buying what they heard was good, or the equivalent of the big summer blockbuster (gears 2, etc), or on the lesser end, movie licenses. the other half was the wii parents crowd.

still, you might feel isolated now, but think back 10, 15 years, right before the PS1. gaming was - as i recall - almost entirely a niche. now, the same pop stars leigh's referencing often have youtube or other clips of them playing games, too.

baby steps. the medium's only recently gotten out of being the bastard child of pop culture. we'll get to the indie hipsters that wont even talk to you if you dont know who Tim Schafer is just yet.

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"Though ____ is filled to capacity with the murkiest of reverb, the guitars breeze by and the bass pounds away, leaving the distorted hooks to flounder helplessly in a cozy blanket of shoegazing warmth."

pardon?

I can definitely see how video game journalism is a similar niche. But, while I don't read reviews, I will listen to samples of an artist's music before I make a purchase. I will see a movie in the theater or rent it before buying it. But even then, I'll only see a movie in the theater after at least getting some impression of it, whether from critics or a friend's recommendation. I don't understand how people will randomly select games - which are far more expensive - off a shelf with no previous knowledge.

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frankly...i see no reason to bridge the gap. it's great that "midcore" gamers (honestly, don't know what to call them) exist and that they buy, enjoy and share games. but i get my rocks off the most when i talk to someone else who really knows their stuff, the ones who, as you say, get it. the same goes for any subject in which i am fully geeked out.

when i went to PAX this year (my first time), nothing comes close to the rush i got when i came out of the airport and saw a clutch of guys waiting for the downtown shuttle. i knew what they were there for; i knew they were of my ilk. for that reason alone, despite the problems, the weekend was a blast. i mean, these are the people i hang with; i have a hard time settling for anything less. in that way, i am lonelier than your average bear, but it makes the actual connections all the better.

i figure if any gamer cares enough about the nitty-gritty of games, they are able to cross over into our realms. after all, we all made it here somehow, didn't we?

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Also, I have never heard of Rihanna. Then again, my TV is mainly just a really big computer monitor, and the TV shows I watch come off BitTorrent. (I won't plug them here, but... there's only one right now from this continent.) Radio's pretty much useless when I have a massive amount of stuff on my iPod I've hardly listened to yet, and new podcasts coming in all the time. It truly is possible these days to engage in "alternative culture" as a real alternative and not an adjunct. (This also becomes far easier for every additional language you learn!)

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I visit my local indie game store (Final Level Consoles in Aylesbury) and the staff there are knowledgeable, conversive, always give good advice to anyone considering a purchase and will chat to you for ages about the latest dramas in the gaming world. Similarly the customers are by and large of the more "core" crowd. I think indie stores mimic comic book stores in the US, they are as much places to swap stories and converse, a true live-blog if you will as they are places to pick up games.

They also tend to have imports in stock. :)

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I stopped reading the article after that.

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I like what you said about the gaming culture - I've gotta say I find it fascinating, and I like reading about it here on Kotaku and elsewhere. You guys/gals are so passionate, and really you've created a culture that defines good and bad, with the gray in between.

I don't even own a Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo platform, and the only computer game I own and regularly play is Roller Coaster Tycoon. I get how fun games are, and the culture around them, I really think I do. I just don't have the coordination (Or time, or money) to really delve into it for myself. So for now, I'll just keep hanging out here getting my info, then telling all my rl friends about LBP.

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